Scholarships and Funding

The Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies actively encourages students to pursue educational assistance.


Scholarship not currently on UH Mānoa STAR:

  • Madeleine Goodman Prize - The prize includes $250 and an opportunity to present the award-winning paper/project at the final spring semester colloquium.
    • How to apply: Submit to Women's Studies Department: 1) A cover letter explaining how the submitted work is innovative; 2) A paper or creative project that may be derived from any of the undergraduate level Women 's Studies courses. The paper/project must include (a) research-based work; and (b) focus on women's, gender, and/or sexuality issues.
    • Who may apply: Currently enrolled Women's Studies major or undergraduate certificate students at UH Mānoa.
    • Application deadline: April 1
    • Contact: wgss@hawaii.edu

Scholarships on UH Mānoa STAR:

The application deadline for the following scholarship is April 1.

  • Chesney-Lind Women's Studies Endowed Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarship support to students who have declared a major in Women's Studies (Undergraduate) or are pursuing a degree/certificate in Women's Studies (Graduate) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Social Sciences who need financial assistance.

The application deadline for the following scholarships is February 15 by 2 pm.

  • Ann Dunham Soetoro Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to provide fellowships in cooperation and coordination between the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the East-West Center to support students from the U.S. or Indonesia focusing on (1) anthropology or other social sciences; (2) development studies with particular reference to Indonesia and Southeast Asia; and (3) women's studies addressing the role of women in social and economic change.
  • Chancellor's International Opportunities Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to assist women and/or minority students enrolled full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in any area of study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Funds shall be used for costs associated with international travel/study abroad opportunities as determined and approved by the selection committee.
  • Japanese Women's Society Foundation "Kokoro" Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to assist students in the American Studies Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, College of Arts & Humanities, who are pursuing Japanese American cultural studies in Hawai'i.
  • Linda E. Putnam Memorial Scholarship Endowment - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to assist undergraduate students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and to promote career development for persons dedicated to causes held dear by Linda E. Putnam; early childhood education, family strengthening and increasing opportunities for women.
  • PPSEAWA Hawaii Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to lower-division undergraduate students (freshman and sophomore standing with a preference to freshman) who express and/or demonstrate an interest in Pacific Islands or Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
  • Professor Anna M. Keppel Scholarship Fund - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to assist students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa who are returning to earn a degree after a break in their education. Preference will be given to women returning to higher education after a break in their schooling.
  • Tamah & Yoshihiro Nakamura Study Abroad Scholarship - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to students who are participating in a Japan study abroad program at the Study Abroad Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Women are especially encouraged to apply.
  • Women's Campus Club Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Leora Parmalee Dean - The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarship support to students majoring in any area of study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa who need financial assistance. Preference shall be given to a mature/non-traditional student completing his/her upper-division academic program (junior or senior) under challenging circumstances.

Non-UH Mānoa Scholarships

  • Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund (JRF) - Provides scholarships and support for low-income women ages thirty-five and older across the US to build better lives through post-secondary education. » Full JRF Details
  • NWSA Graduate Scholarship - NWSA will award $1,000 to a student who, in the fall of the year of the award, will be engaged in the research or writing stages of a Master's Thesis or Ph.D. Dissertation in the interdisciplinary field of women's studies. The research project must enhance the NWSA mission. This opportunity is open to current NWSA individual members. » Full NWSA Details
  • Scholarships for Women - Provides scholarships and support for women interested in continuing their education. This guide introduces dozens of college scholarships for women, including scholarships for both Black and Hispanic women, and single mothers. » Find out more